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U.S. to Russia: Pull out of Ukraine immediately

Stunned by Russia's swift move into the autonomous province of Crimea and the Russian parliament's endorsement of the action, the United States called on Moscow to "de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces" from the region and "refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine."

U.S. to Russia: Pull out of Ukraine immediately

The international response to developments in Ukraine intensified Saturday as Russia's parliament approved the use of the military to protect Russian interests in the politically and emotionally-divided country. (March 1)
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MOSCOW — Stunned by Russia's swift move into the autonomous province of Crimea and the Russian parliament's endorsement of that brazen action, the United States called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from the region and "refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine."

Speaking by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since this crisis escalated, President Obama expressed concern over "Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity," according to a White House statement.

"President Obama made clear that Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia's standing in the international community," the statement said.

However, Putin remained defiant, telling Obama that not only can Russia send its troops to Crimea, but to all of predominantly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine due to "the existence of real threats" to Russian citizens in Ukrainian territory, according to a statement on the Kremlin's website.

Earlier Saturday, top U.S. officials gathered at the White House in a high-level meeting to review Russia's military moves into Ukraine and determine a response.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement released Saturday evening reiterated the United State's stance. Kerry said he had talked to Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov and assured him that Turchyno had "the strong support of the United States and commend the new government for showing the utmost restraint in the face of the clear and present danger to the integrity of their state, and the assaults on their sovereignty."

"Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken by Russia to deescalate tensions, the effect on U.S.-Russian relations and on Russia's international standing will be profound," Kerry said in the statement.

He added, "The people of Ukraine want nothing more than the right to define their own future – peacefully, politically and in stability."

Russia insisted the action was to keep the peace between pro-Moscow Ukrainians and those who want ties to Europe. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., saw other motives.

"I am deeply concerned that Russia's ongoing military intervention in Crimea may soon expand to eastern Ukraine," he said. "Yesterday, President Obama said that Russia would face 'costs' if it intervened militarily in Ukraine. It is now essential for the president to articulate exactly what those costs will be and to take steps urgently to impose them."

"He reminded Minister Shoygu that these activities ran counter to Russia's international treaty obligations and stated position that it would respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," according to the Pentagon's press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby. "Secretary Hagel stressed that, without a change on the ground, Russia risks further instability in the region, isolation in the international community and an escalation that would threaten European and international security."

The United Nations also met Saturday for an emergency session requested by the United Kingdom. In an open meeting later Saturday afternoon, Ukraine's U.N. ambassador, Yuriy Sergeyev, claimed 15,000 Russian troops are now in Crimea.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call to "urgently engage in direct dialogue with the authorities" in Kiev.

Calling the situation in Ukraine "as dangerous as it is destabilizing," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power told the council, "It is time for the Russian military intervention in Ukraine to end."

Power and other members of the council called for sending international monitors to Ukraine as soon as possible to observe the situation, and Power warned that "Russia's provocative actions could easily push the situation beyond the breaking point." She also mentioned work on an international mediation mission to send to Ukraine.

Russia appeared to have gone ahead with a military takeover of the Crimea Peninsula in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops from the Black Sea port of Stevasopol were seen moving through various parts of the region.

Andriy Ignatov, a Ukrainian in Crimea, told Kiev Post that the troops are facing no resistance by local residents but aren't being feted either.

"I see no enthusiasm for the arrival of the troops, maybe because they have no insignias," he told the newspaper. "There's no cheering crowds, no flowers. The attitude is pretty much, 'Let's go with the flow.' "

There is concern about what happens next, he added. "People ask, 'Are we going to be part of Russia now? Well, then, OK, as long as there's no fighting.' "

Pro-Russians walk toward the airport in Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. In the first Ukrainian military action against a pro-Russian uprising in the east, government forces clashed Tuesday with about 30 armed gunmen at a small airport in Kramatorsk. (Photo: Alexander Ermochenko, AP)

A pro-Russian protester uses binoculars while he attends a rally in front of the occupied regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine. Pro-Russian activists occupying state institutions in eastern Ukraine said Monday that they will not heed an ultimatum by the government in Kiev. (Photo: epa)

People sing the Ukrainian national anthem during a pro-Ukraine rally in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk. Russia's foreign minister on April 15 warned Kiev against using force to quell pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine, saying the "criminal" act would undermine talks planned in Geneva. (Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainian soldiers stand on military vehicles with Ukrainian national flags in a field about 44 miles from the eastern town of Slovyansk, where the Ukrainian regional administration building was seized by pro-Russia activists. (Photo: Maxim Dondyuk, AP)

A man passes by the pro-Russia activist barricades at a regional administration building seized in Donetsk. Several government buildings have fallen to mobs of Moscow loyalists in recent days as unrest spreads across the country's east. (Photo: Efrem Lukatsky, AP)

Ukrainian activists cover their eyes and show placards with an altered portrait of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and slogans reading "Avakov, on which side are you? You must to get rid of separatists or get out yourself!" during a rally in Kiev, Ukraine, on April 14. (Photo: Sergey Dolzhenko, European Pressphoto Agency)

A pro-Russian protester takes part in the storming of regional police building in Horlivka on April 14. Ukraine's interim president made a dramatic about-face aimed at defusing tensions in the separatist east by backing a national referendum on turning the former Soviet republic into a federation with broader regional rights. (Photo: Alexey Kravtsov, AFP/Getty Images)

A pro-Russia activist guards a barricade outside the regional security service building April 9 in Lugansk, eastern Ukraine. The activists occupied the building April 6 and seek to break away from Ukraine and join Russia. (Photo: Genya Savilov, AFP/Getty Images)

A woman wraps herself in a Russian national flag as she walks in front of a barricade at the regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine. Pro-Russia separatists occupied the building on April 7, demanding a regional referendum to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. (Photo: Alexander Ermochenko, AP)

A demonstrator holds a placard reading "World - your support is our lives" during a protest against Russia's intervention in Ukraine and the referendum in Crimea in front of the Russian embassy in Vilnius. (Photo: Petras Malukas, AFP/Getty Images)

Pro-Russian supporters rally in Lenin Square in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean citizens will vote in a referendum Sunday on whether to become part of the Russian federation. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)

Men hold their hands up on their heads as they are searched by pro-Russian troops at Chongar checkpoint blocking the entrance to Crimea. Russia vowed on March 10 to unveil its own solution to the Ukrainian crisis that would run counter to U.S. efforts and would appear to leave room for Crimea to switch over to Kremlin rule. (Photo: Alisa Borovikova, AFP/Getty Images)

Supporters of Ukraine attend a rally in support of the keeping Crimea a part of the Ukraine in Simferopol, Ukraine. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, world leaders are pushing for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation. Crimean citizens will vote in a referendum on March 16, on whether to become part of the Russian federation. (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

A convoy of military vehicles bearing no license plates travels on the road from Sevastopol to Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine. Ukraine's foreign minister said Monday his country already feels like it's almost in a state of war after Russian forces took effective control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. (Photo: Darko Vojinovic, AP)

A Crimean Tatar man prays at a mosque in Bakhchysarai, Ukraine. The arrival of Russian troops in Crimea has opened old wounds among the Crimean Tatars, who once again fear they will be unwelcome in their homeland. (Photo: Vadim Ghirda, AP)

People attend a rally in support of keeping Crimea a part of the Ukraine on March 10 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean citizens will vote in a March 16 referendum on whether to become part of the Russian federation. (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

Pro-Russian "self-defense" activists beat a pro-Ukrainian supporter during clashes in Sevastopol. Pro-Ukraine and pro-Russia groups clashed in the Crimean city of Sevastopol following a rally in support of Ukraine's new government, an AFP reporter witnessed. Pro-Russian activists attacked a pro-Ukraine rally in Sevastopol with clubs and whips as thousands took to the streets across Ukraine in rival demonstrations, escalating separatist tensions in the troubled former Soviet state. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainians sing the national anthem during commemorations for writer and Ukrainian nationalist Taras Shevchenko in Kiev's Independence Square. As separatists in Crimea kept up pressure for unification with Moscow, Ukraine solemnly commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth of its greatest poet, with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk vowing not to give up "a single centimeter" of Ukrainian territory. (Photo: David Azia, AP)

People rally in support of pro-Russian authorities in the Ukrainian region of Crimea in St. Petersburg. Russia's incursion in Crimea is a "serious miscalculation" and Moscow could face far-reaching economic consequences unless a diplomatic solution can be found, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on March 9. (Photo: Olga Maltseva, AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainian riot police block the entrance of the regional administrative building during a pro-Russian rally in Donetsk, Ukraine, on March 9. Following an extraordinary meeting of the Ukrainian government, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced he would be flying later this week to the United States for high-level talks on "resolution of the situation in Ukraine." (Photo: Sergei Grits, AP)

People hold flags of Russian political party Rodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union, to show their support for pro-Russian authorities in the Ukrainian region of Crimea during a rally in St. Petersburg. (Photo: Olga Maltseva, AFP/Getty Images)

Demonstrators wave Russian national flags as they gather for a march to Red Square on March 7 in Moscow. Russia is supporting a Crimean bid to secede from Ukraine. (Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP)

Pro-Russia troops guard a position at the Chongar checkpoint, blocking entrance to Crimea. Two buses carrying a team of 47 military and civilian observers were stopped from entering the region. (Photo: Alexander Nemenov, AFP/Getty Images)

Members of an Orthodox church participate in a prayer vigil outside a Russian military checkpoint near a Ukrainian air force base that has reportedly been seized by the Russian military in Belbek, Ukraine. (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

A man sits next to the 'Shrine of the Fallen,' a makeshift mausoleum dedicated to the anti-government protesters who died during fighting with riot police in Kiev. (Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/Getty Images)

People walk past a barricade where thousands of flowers have been placed in memory of those killed during clashes in and around Kiev's Independence Square. The white banner at center reads, "No more motorcades, East and West together!" (Photo: David Azia, AP)

A member of Rome's Ukrainian community displays bound hands during a rally in the city to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine. (Photo: Angelo Carconi, European Pressphoto Agency)

A Pro-Russia activist attends a rally on March 6 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Pro-Russia politiciansin Crimea unanimously declared they wanted to join Russia and would put the decision to voters in 10 days. (Photo: Genya Savilov, AFP/Getty Images)

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In a late night announcement, Ukraine's interim president Oleksandr Turchynov ordered the nation's armed forces to be prepared for the threat of "potential aggression."

Shortly after speaking in favor of the decision to send Russian troops, Valery Ryazansky, chairman of the Federation Council committee on social welfare, said there's not going to be a war.

"This will be done by those (Ukrainians and Russians) who live there," he said. "We have waited long and patiently hoping that Ukraine could manage on its own. But, unfortunately, it's become clear that without this help and support they cannot manage."

The snap Russian parliament hearing, in which senators did not debate or question the proposal, came shortly after Putin asked parliament for permission to use military force in Ukraine due to the "extraordinary situation" there. Putin said the move is needed to protect ethnic Russians and personnel at a Russian military base in Crimea.

Russian lawmakers also recommended that Putin recall the Russian ambassador to the U.S. in response to Obama's Friday evening speech, where he said the U.S. remained "deeply concerned" about reports that Russian troops had entered Ukraine.

Senior Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko called for a "general mobilization" in the country Saturday.

"Parliament must request the army chief to mobilize following Russian aggression against Ukraine," Klitschko said in a statement.

Earlier Saturday, Crimea's pro-Russia leader, Sergei Askenov, declared himself in charge of all security services and made a direct appeal to Moscow.

"I appeal to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea," Aksenov said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

In Kiev, the interim government that replaced exiled president Viktor Yanukovych said Russia is violating its sovereignty.

"We demand that the Russian government and authorities recall their troops and return them to their bases," interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said Saturday in remarks published by Interfax, Ukraine's official agency.

"There is inappropriate presence of Russian military servicemen in Crimea now. This is nothing but a violation of the basic provisions of the agreement on the Russian Black Sea Fleet's temporary presence on the Ukrainian territory," Yatseniuk said.

Ukraine closed its airspace over Crimea on Saturday after border officials said at least eight Russian transport planes landed Friday at a military base, delivering unknown goods and personnel. Ukraine's Crimea province has an ethnic Russian majority and hosts the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet.

All flights to and from the provincial capital of Simferopol were canceled a day after unidentified gunmen — suspected of being Russian forces — took over the region's main airport and a military airport outside the naval city of Sevastopol.

Regardless, the situation was tense in the region as Aksionov reassured local residents that he had the situation under control. Most residents of the Black Sea Peninsula have linguistic and cultural ties to Russia with a clear majority self-identifying as ethnic Russian.

"The authorities are at their desks working," he said at a meeting televised by state broadcaster Krym TV. "We guarantee the people, irrespective of their ethnic background, a sober, realistic and just approach in resolving their issues. I am especially addressing the Crimean Tatars: I assure you that nothing threatens you."

Meanwhile, protests broke out in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Saturday after thousands of people gathered to press for a referendum on seceding from Ukraine, carrying Russian flags and banners expressing support of pro-Russian protesters in Crimea. Residents are also pushing for new local elections.

In the stronghold of ousted president Yanukovych's Party of Regions in the east's regional capital of Kharkiv, clashes broke out between pro-Russian protesters and pro-Maidan demonstrators. A Ukrainian flag on a government building was torn down and replaced with a Russian one, local media reported.